Sardar Sarovar Dam
Sardar Sarovar Dam is one of the most important and biggest dams in India. The controversial gravity dam was established on June 2006 on the River Narmada near Navagam, in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the most significant project of the Narmada Valley Project a gigantic hydraulic engineering project that constructs a series of irrigation and multipurpose hydroelectric dams on the holy River Narmada. The Sardar Sarovar Dam project planning was planned on 1979 to develop irrigation and hydroelectricity.
The main mantra behind building the dam is to link the unused water of the River Narmada to the arid regions of western India so that millions of people can be saved from severe draught. The 128 meter high and still growing dam has proved to be a huge success today when ecologists find the draughty areas of western India has been possibly balanced with the saved water of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
Location
The Kevadia colony is located at the foot of the large dam and it is mainly resided by the employees of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The foundations stone of the project was laid by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1961. Here, the river is around 1163 km from the sea and the dam is located near Rajpipla.
Nearby Attractions
This has now become a wonderful tourist attraction. The foot of the dam is decorated by gardens that prove the unique craftsmanship. A lake has formed there from the discharged water of the dam. Tourists love boating in the lake by the beautiful garden. This has also become a trekking site and natural education camps of the local students.
The most important site here besides the dam is the shrine of Shoolapanishwar Shiva temple. The government has to reconstruct the temple as the ancient one was submerged under the dam. Visitors can stay in the Kevadia colony too. For more details tourists can contact: Tel: 02640232599 or 02640232533.
The ain power pump stores about six Francis pump-turbines of 200 MW to generate electricity for the nearby locations. This is the second largest gravity dam for generating electricity after the Grand Coulee Dam in the United States.
How to reach?
By Air: The nearest airport is in Vadodara.
By Rail: The nearby railway station is Bharuch and Vadodara. Kevadia- Narmada doesn’t have a separate staion. From Vadodara station it takes around 91 km to reach Kevadia.
By Road: Rajpipla, Bharuch, Chanod, and Dabhoi are easily reached by buses. The Sardar Sarovar dam site can be reached by private vehicle as well.